Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Laboratory,
has sparked an ongoing debate about how best to bring technology
to the developing world. Negroponte has created a nonprofit
organization called One Laptop Per Child to develop a $100
laptop to be marketed to countries with limited access to technology.
His vision is reportedly taking shape, with a manufacturer lined
up and project organizers close to signing deals for seven million
of the units. Negroponte reportedly talked with both Microsoft
and Apple about supplying operating systems for his $100 laptops,
but he ultimately settled on Linux, a decision that is said to have riled
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. Speaking at the recent Consumer
Electronics show, Gates suggested that instead of an inexpensive
laptop, modified cell phones are a better way to spread technology.
Gates showed a mockup of such a phone, which would connect
to a TV and a keyboard. Negroponte said his group considered a
similar approach but dismissed it as too impractical compared to
the laptop idea.
New York Times, 30 January 2006 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/30/technology/30gates.html
-------------------------------------------- Visit the ETNI site - http://www.etni.org Send a message to the ETNI list: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Send queries and questions to: ask@xxxxxxxx --------------------------------------------